Amahl and the Night Visitors – an opera written by Gian Carlo Menotti who is American. This opera is unique in that it was commissioned by NBC for television and was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1951. The inspiration for this opera came from a painting in the Museum of Art in New York. The writing of this opera was unique in that the music was written first and words were then found to match the music.
Characters:
Amahl (unchanged soprano) – a crippled boy approximately 12 years old
Mother (mezzo-soprano) – a poor widow
Kaspar (tenor) – a king
Melchior (baritone) – a king
Balthazar (bass) – a king
Page (baritone) – servant of the kings
Shepherds and villagers
12/11/2002